As she sported a green blazer similar to Slippery Rock University’s school colors, Karen Riley put a room full of people at ease with her stories and jokes.
At an introductory meeting Wednesday at the Butler County school, Ms. Riley met dozens of Slippery Rock leaders, students, faculty and staff who heard their new president speak for the first time. Ms. Riley will take the helm of the state-owned university this summer upon the retirement of President William Behre.
Ms. Riley confidentially told those in attendance she wants Slippery Rock to stand out as a school that helps its students “get it done.”
“I know we can do that, if we work together,” Ms. Riley said. “Of course I want us to be an exemplary member of the [Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education] – I want us to be the best member of the PASSHE system.”
Ms. Riley will join the Slippery Rock community after serving as the provost and chief academic officer at Regis University in Denver for two years. Before that, she worked as dean of the College of Education at the University of Denver for seven years.
Ninety applicants were considered to serve as Slippery Rock’s 18th president.
“I think she’s a goal-oriented individual and has a very strong work ethic,” said Dom Ionta, chair of Slippery Rock’s council of trustees.
Jason Hilton, the president of Slippery Rock’s faculty union, said Ms. Riley’s resume and personality were impressive.
“Dr. Riley’s ability to stand out in a crowd and to be relatable and to not just listen, but come out with ideas that move the conversation forward, really stood out to us,” Mr. Hilton said.
Born in Colorado, Ms. Riley married into Western Pa. roots; her husband was born in Pittsburgh. She began her career as an early childhood specialist and psychology professor, eventually moving into higher education leadership roles.
At the welcome reception and during an interview with the Post-Gazette, Ms. Riley spoke about her plans for Slippery Rock.
Enrollment
Ms. Riley will begin leading Slippery Rock, one of 10 universities in the state system, as it faces declining enrollment.
Though the Western Pa. university’s drop has been less dramatic than the PASSHE-wide decline – there was a 7.4% decrease in students PASSHE-wide between 2019-20 and 2021-22 – Slippery Rock still saw a 4.3% decline during that same time frame.
Ms. Riley hopes to understand why enrollment decreases are occurring at Slippery Rock, and in turn commit the school to “strong outreach.”
The future president believes Slippery Rock has a competitive advantage to attract students who initially might not see college as an option.
“We want to be appealing to that group, be supportive and provide a great, quality education,” she said.
Ms. Riley intends to bolster the university’s certificate and credential options that students can use to pursue a degree or quickly enter the workforce.
“If you’re not thinking of higher ed only as giving undergraduate degrees or graduate degrees, but really thinking about facilitating human development, then I think it broadens our opportunity,” she said.
Not just a teacher school
At a news conference during the reception, Ms. Riley said she hopes Slippery Rock will partner with local health care systems to learn about their needs under her leadership. Her remarks come a month after Slippery Rock announced it would work with four local community colleges to help students complete their nursing degrees.
Ms. Riley also spoke positively of Slippery Rock’s “relatively new and growing” engineering program, which kicked off in 2016, and the school’s liberal arts programs.
“A strong liberal arts foundation prepares students to go into the jobs of the future, especially if we’re able to provide them with great internships,” she said at the media conference.
Referring to the College of Education as the “bread and butter” of Slippery Rock, Ms. Riley acknowledged that Slippery Rock is still considered a viable education school for many aspiring teachers. During the 2021-22 academic year, nearly 20% of students majored in education.
In her comments to the Post-Gazette, Ms. Riley said she wants to continue Slippery Rock’s commitment to supporting K-12 education as schools grapple with teacher shortages, including in Western Pennsylvania.
She plans to work with College of Education leaders, aid teachers and partner with local superintendents and principals to build the teacher pipeline.
“If we can increase the retention of teachers by supporting them, the schools and the administration, then I think we’ll also address some of the issues around teacher shortages,” she said.
Using and raising funds
At Slippery Rock, in-state yearly tuition is $7,716, not including room and board. Tuition rates have been frozen across the board at the state system schools for four years. Chancellor Daniel Greenstein is hoping the state system can go a fifth year without raising tuition if it gets the almost 4% increase he’s seeking from the state.
As a former provost and dean for two private universities, Ms. Riley said she knows how to be “nimble” – and plans to use that skill at her new school.
At Regis, she said she learned how to fundraise and diversify revenue streams, something she plans to do at Slippery Rock, too.
“We want to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars,” she said. “How can we figure out how to leverage our current assets in a way that may generate more revenue?”
First Published: March 23, 2023, 9:41 a.m.
Updated: March 23, 2023, 11:01 a.m.
